As summer begins to wane and many flowers fade, the California Aster enters the spotlight. This resilient wildflower, native to the western United States, brings a burst of color to gardens and landscapes when other blooms are winding down.
When offered the opportunity as a Master Gardener to be trained and unleashed on CA to ID and log sighting of the Tree of Heaven (TOH) (Ailanthus altissima), I jumped at the chance. TOH is an invasive, wildly hearty, rapidly growing deciduous tree native to China and Taiwan.
We are a gardening family, nothing very grandiose, garden size and configuration determined by the situation, a few pots or postage stamp sized at times, other times more landscaped.
If you live in the California Central Valley and fancy yourself a summer vegetable gardener, you've probably tried your hand at growing tomatoes. And that's all types of tomatoes, from slicers, to cherries to heirlooms to beefsteak.
